Imagery Data Shows First Venezuela-Linked Oil Ship Seized by American Authorities is Currently Off Texas.
US agents boarding the deck of the tanker Skipper on December 10th.
Satellite imagery and vessel monitoring data has confirmed that the oil tanker Skipper – the first vessel apprehended by the US for allegedly carrying sanctioned crude from Venezuela – is currently positioned near of the state of Texas.
A satellite firm's satellite imagery from 21 December shows the tanker is in the vicinity of the port of Galveston, while AIS ship-tracking feeds from MarineTraffic presently places the vessel about 80km from the coast.
The tanker Skipper was seized by US authorities on the tenth of December and has been sanctioned by multiple nations. When it was intercepted, it was falsely sailing under the flag of Guyana.
This interception was succeeded by the capture of a second oil vessel, the Centuries tanker. This ship – unlike the Skipper – was not yet under sanctions when it was taken into US custody.
US authorities are now pursuing a third such ship, which has been named by the maritime risk group Vanguard as the Bella 1 tanker. President Donald Trump said yesterday that “we’ll end up getting it”.
Writing on the social media platform X, the maritime monitoring group noted the Bella 1 has been “underway for 39 days” and, at an typical pace of 11 knots, may have “approximately a month of fuel left unless her speed decreases”.
The monitoring service further stated the tanker is “likely traveling in a southeasterly direction towards South Africa”.
